Her book, “The Lowland,” is based on two brothers who grow up together in Kolkata but follow different paths later in life, with one joining the Naxal, or Maoist, movement in the 1960s and the other opting for a quieter life in the U.S.

He returns to India, however, to deal with the aftermath of a devastating incident involving his brother outside the family home.

The short list for the Man Booker Proze for Fiction will be unveiled on Sept. 10 and the winner will be announced in October. The prize, which is in its 45th year, is awarded for the best novel of the year by an author from the U.K., Ireland or a Commonwealth country.

London-born Ms. Lahiri won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with her debut collection of stories, “Interpreter of Maladies.” She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Indian writer Aravind Adiga won the 2008 Man Booker Prize for his novel “The White Tiger,” a story told from the perspective of a driver of a rich Indian businessman.

Read more about this year’s long list for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction here.